A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tube working tool and, more particularly, to a tool for resizing/reducing the tube diameter in soft, metal tubing (e.g., copper or brass tubing).
B. Description of Related Art
Bursted pipes have traditionally created very frustrating conditions for plumbers and other technicians who work with broken pipes. In most cases when pipes burst, they normally expand for a distance on either side of the actual rupture. The cracked or bursted section is usually cut out and a new section is inserted. However, because the pipe has expanded, it is virtually impossible to effect a repair of the pipe with a pipe of the same diameter.
The only effective way to repair the section is by using a pipe of a larger size or an adapter. This method can be difficult as well as very costly because pipes will not normally expand to a pipe size that is readily available. The other alternative in effecting a repair is to replace the entire pipe. This option can also be very costly because in most instances, such a replacement entails more than just a small piece of pipe. Because of the various problems associated with the present methods of fixing bursted pipes, it is desirable to provide a single convenient tool that will allow a technician to resize the expanded section of a bursted pipe.
A number of attempts have been made to provide tube-working tools to solve various problems associated with pipes and other cylindrical articles. Most of these tools have been directed to tube-cutting, rather than tube-resizing. A listing of these tools would include:
Hayter (U.S. Pat. No. 1,484,023) discloses a pipe cutter; McCloskey (U.S. Pat. No. 1,674,440) discloses a pipe cutter and burr remover; Kemp (U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,170) describes an apparatus for making a joint between a metal tube and an object engageable therein); Kowal (U.S. Pat. No. 3,013,335) discloses another tube cutter.
Foster, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,993) discloses an apparatus for making tube joints wherein the wheel making the joint has a rounded or "semi-circular" face (see FIG. 8 generally and FIG. 9 reference numeral 36 specifically). This semi-circular wheel design apparently makes a tube joint by simultaneously crimping/interlocking two concentric tube sections. The semi-circular wheel design, however, is not capable of producing a resized tube which is the object of this invention.
Modes, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,082,523) describes a stripping tool; Neese (U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,652) teaches swaging back-up rollers; Bjalme, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,376,638) discloses a pipe cutter having half nut guided for movement toward and away from the pressure screw; Butler (U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,081) discloses another type of tubing cutter; and Muse, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,980) describes another pipe cutter.
Arnot (U.S. Pat. No. 3,651,569) describes a device for working a cylindrical work-piece; Skvarenina (U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,261) teaches a pipe cutting tool; Bastiansen (U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,937) discloses a tool for cutting and graduating plastic tubes; and Strybel (U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,572) teaches yet another tube cutter.
Whitlock (U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,867) discloses a specific tool for restoring roundness to metal tubing. Whitlock teaches the use of rollers of identical length, potentially varying only the diameters and/or the spacing of two pairs of rollers. Hoback (U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,064) describes a rotary gripping tool, and Noon (U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,910) discloses a cutting tool for cylindrical articles.
None of these references, however, teaches how to make a tool which would efficiently and easily resize the expanded section of a bursted tubing. In fact, a number of these references teach away from the invention disclosed or they suggest a design which is poorly suited to the task.